Janelle Monae Blows Out "Letterman"

Working at Pitchfork News, I inevitably end up watching quite a few musical performances from late night TV. Most are perfectly fine. A rare few rise above. Janelle Monae's horn-blasting take on "Tightrope" from last night's "Late Show With David Letterman" is definitely in that elite class. Everything-- from the foot-sliding, to the cape-draping, to the band's synchronized moves-- is utterly on point. (There's also a Diddy cameo.) A must see (via Prefix):

Monae's debut album, The ArchAndroid, is out now. Read our recent interview with the singer here, and check out her upcoming tour dates with Erykah Badu here-- if you're physically capable of attending one of those shows and fail to do so, you lost.